Posted on 12/04/2012 10:42:55 PM PST by nickcarraway
A Paris-based trickster has been charged with flooding the art market with forged paintings of India's most famous and controversial modern artist, M.F. Husain, police say.
The 32-year-old man, identified as Sofiane B., was arrested last month following a complaint from a city art dealer. He was charged with a number of offences and placed under judicial supervision on a hefty bail after a 48-hour detention.
Based in the working-class northern quarter of Saint-Ouen, where the city's most famous flea market is located, Sofiane B. took advantage of Husain's advanced age to get him to sign paintings done by others, police believe.
He then attempted to sell them in Britain and France and succeeded in offloading two of the fake paintings to a Paris art dealer for more than 100,000 euros ($122,000) in 2010.
"This is a case of fraud and counterfeit," said a source close to the probe.
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.ninemsn.com.au ...
M. F. Husaine? Must admit I’ve uttered something similar myself.
The “Indian Picasso”? Aren’t Elementary schools everywhere peopled with the likes of “The Rochester, NY Picasso”? The “Medicine Hat, Saskatchewan Picasso”? “The Guadalajara Picasso”? “The Melbourne Picasso”? And even the “Pyongyang Picasso”?
It must be nearly impossible to forge such great art. /snort
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